Reel-support for harvesters.



\ No. 732,994. PATENTED JULY-7, 1903.

J. P. APPLEBY.

REEL lSUPPORT POR HARVESTERS. APPLICATION FILED 0012.10, 1902. No MODEL.

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UNITED STATES l Patented July 7, 1903. PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. APPLEBY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ACME HARVESTER COMPANY, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

I REEL-SUPPORT FOR HARVESTERS.

p SPECIFICATION forming' part of Lettersl Patent No. 732,994, dated July 7, 1903.4

Original application filed May 15.l 1899, SerialXNo. 716,911. Divided and this application filed October 10, 1902. Seri p ',No. 126.7113. (No model.) l

To LZZ whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN F. APPLEBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

have invented certain new-and useful Improvements in Reel-Supports for Harvesters,

of which the following is a specication.

My invention .relates to reel-supports for vharvesting-machines, and has for its object to 1o provide an improved mechanism for raising and lowering the reel to suit varying heights of grain and also to move the reel forward and back to vary its position relatively to the sickle.

` By my invention I effect the raising lowering, and locking of the reel in adjusted position by the 4movement of a single actuatingleveror other operating means at the drivers platform, while the means I employ to shift 2o the reel back and forward relatively to thej sickle do not interfere with the mechanism for adjusting the vertical height of the reel.

My l invention. consists in a mechanism adapted to perform the functions stated, subz 5 4stantially as hereinafter described, and pointthe butter, the grain-board, the sickle, and' 4o the reel-and being operated by a `push-pole and drivers platform'in the rear. ASuch a machine is illustrated in my pending application for Letters Patent on a harvester, Serial No.

- 716,911, filed May 15, 1899, allowed July 23,

,1902, of which application the present application constitutes a division.

Referring to the drawings for a more particular description of my invention, 4 designates a rod or link which at its rear end is dio rectly or indirectly connected to an actuatinglever (not shown) or other operating means adapted to effect a positive longitudinal movement of said link in either direction. At its forward end said link is pivoted to a yokestandard 5, which latter is pivoted at its lower end on the usual reel-support bar 6 and at its upper end embraces the tubular head 7 of a tubular reel-carrying arm 8, having a tubular head 9 for the reel-shaft 10, carrying the usual reel 11. 6o

From the foregoing it will be evident that the longitudinal reciprocation of the connect-A ing-rod f1 by the actuating-lever or other operating means at the drivers platform will swing the reel forward and back to bring it closer to or farther from the sickle.

In order to adapt the machine to cut short or lodged grain, the reel is provided with a vertical adjustment, so that it may be raised and lowered, and this movement is .secured 7o by means of a mechanism which effects the raising, lowering, and locking and unlocking of the reel through the manipulation of a single actuating connection extending to the drivers platform. Referring to this mechanism in detail, 12 designates a connectingrod, which is itself connected either directly or indirectly to a lever or other actuating Y means (not shown) at the drivers platform and at its forward end is pivoted to one arm 8o of a bell-crank 13, mounted at its angle on the support-bar o", slightly in rear of the` ,pivotal support of the yoke-standard 5 thereon. From the other arm of the bell-crank a link 14. extends upwardly and is connected to a block 15, pivoted upon the rear end of a lever 16, the latter being pivoted at its forward end to the reel-carrying bar 8, forwardly of the pivot of the latter'.` A strut 17 connects the lever 1G with the yoke-standard 5 9o and constitutes the fulcrum-support of the lever 16. The block 15 has upper and lower anges 15a and 15b, embracing the rear arm of lever 1G, and has a certain amount of play thereon.

From an upstanding lug 15c on the block 15 a rod 18 extends forward to the nearer arm of a bell-crank 19, that is pivoted at its bend upon a lateral lug 8a of the pivoted reel-carrying arm 8 and having its farther roo normally held in engagement with one of the apertures of the standard by means of a spring 24, which backs up the bell-crank.

25 is a counterbalance-spring connected at its upper end to the lever 16 rearward of its fulcrnm and at its lower end suitably anchored to the support-bar 6. 26 indicates the usual reel-driving sprocketchain, which, actuated from a drivingsprocket 27, pivoted on the support-bar 6, engages and rotates the large reeldriving sprocket 28 on the reel-shaft, the drivingchain being suitably guided and tensioned by idler-pulleys 29 and 30.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows: Assuming that it is desired to raise the reel above the position shown in the drawings and that it is locked, the lever or other actuating means at the drivers platform will Vbe operated through such a movement as to draw the rod 12 backward, rocking the bellcrank 13 and pulling down on the link 14 and rocking the pivoted block 15. The initial rocking movement of the pivoted block will operate through the rod 18 and bell-crank 19 to withdraw the locking-bolt 20, and thus release the reel-supporting arm from the supporting-standard 23, and the continued movement ofthe pivoted block will cause its anges to engage and clamp the lever 16, whereupon the continued downward pull of the link 14 rocks the lever 16 on its fulcrum-support on the stud 17, and thus raises the reel-supporting arm and the reel. The locking of the reel at the end of this upward movement is effected by a quick reverse movement imparted to the connecting-rod 1 2 through the actuating means at the drivers platform, this movement serving to impart a quick reverse rocking movement of the block 15, and thereby permit the spring 24 to force the locking-bolt into operative engagement with the standard 23 before the momentum ofthe upward movement of the reel has ceased. When it is desired to lower the reel, the rod 12 is again drawn backward by the actuating-lever or other means at the drivers platform to re-l lease the locking mechanism, and thereupon the weight of the reel will cause it to descend, the actuating-rod 12 moving forward ina l yielding movement at a rate corresponding or pull on the connecting-rod 4 through the operating-lever or other actuating device at the drivers platform, this adjustment being readily permitted by reason of the fact that both the yoke-standard 5 andthe supportingstandard 23, carrying the reel and its actuating and adjusting devices, are pivotally mounted at their lower ends, while the reel-V supporting arm 8, pivotally connecting said uprights at their upper end is capable of angular variation relatively to both uprights to accommodate the forward and backward oscillations of the latter. It is also to be noted that such forward and backward adjustments of the reel are capable of being made without interfering with the operativeness and edectiveness of the mechanism for vertically adjusting and locking the reel.

Ido not limit my invention to the precise details of construction or relative arrangement of the several parts hereinabove described, since it is obvious that the structural details might be variously modified without departing from the gist of the invention and its fundamental principal of operation.

I claim- 1. A reel supporting and adjusting mechanism for harvesting-machines, comprisingin combination a reel-shaft, a support therefor, said su pport being pivotally mounted, whereby, when rocked on its pivot, the reel is raised and lowered, and means for raising, lowering, locking and unlocking the reel in its adjusted position, comprising a lever connected to the reel-support, a locking mechanism for holding said support in its adjusted position, and connections extending from said locking mechanism to said lever and thence to a single actuating rod or link connected with the drivers platform, said connections operating first upon the locking mechanism and then upon said lever to shift the reel, substantially as described.

2. A reel supporting and adjusting mechf anism for harvesting-machines, comprising in combination a reel-shaft, a support therefor, said support being pivotally mounted,^a lever for rocking said support on its pivot, a locking mechanism for locking said support in its adjusted position, said locking mechanism includinga locking-bolt and aspring for holding said bolt in the locking position, means for withdrawing the locking-bolt and for rocking the lever whereby to raise and lower the reel, said means comprising lever-and-link connections extending from said locking-bolt to said lever and thence to a single actuating rod or link connected with the drivers platform,'said connections operating iirst to withdraw the locking-bolt and then, by a further movement, to rock said lever and therebyy said reelsupport, a locking-bolt having an operating-spring normally tending to lock said reel-support to said standard, a lever connected by one arm to the reel-support for rocking it on its pivot, a flanged block pivotally and loosely mounted on the opposite arm of said lever,connectionsintermediate said block and said locking-bolt for withdrawing the latter,

. and other connections extending from said block to a single actuating rod or link oper ated from the drivers platform,said actuating rod or link serving, through the described connections, to firstwithdraw the locking-bolt and subsequently raise or lower the reel, substantially as described.

4. A reel supporting and adjusting mechanism for harvesting-machines, comprising in combination a reel-shaft, a supporting-arm therefor, a standard pivoted at its lower end `on the framework of the machine and having `said sbaft=sup`porting arm pivoted in its upper end, a locking-standard also pivoted at its lower end in the frame of the machine in advance of said reel-supporting standard, a locking mechanism through which said reelsupporting arm may be engaged with said locking-standard at varying heights thereon, a lever one arm of which is connected to the reel-supporting arm for rocking it on its pivot, a flanged block pivotally and loosely mounted on the opposite arm of said lever, actuating connections between said block and said locking mechanism, other actuating connections between said block and a single actuating rod or link connected with the drivers platform, through the movements of which latter the locking mechanism is first released by rocking said flanged block upon its lever-support, and subsequently the reel-supporting arm is raised or lowered through the clamping action of said flanged block upon its supporting-lever effecting or controlling the rocking of the latter, and an actuating rod or link connected with said reel-supporting standard for oscillating the latter and thus shifting the reel forward or backward, substantially as described.

JOHN F. APPLEBY.

Witnesses:

E. H. MAHNQUIST, M. S. DAVIDSON. 

